Armenia's foreign minister steps down

By Emre Gurkan Abay

YEREVAN (AA) - The Armenian foreign minister resigned on Monday after a disagreement with premier Nikol Pashinyan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan's resignation was announced in a Facebook post by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan.

Earlier in the day, Pashinyan said in a statement that negotiations to hand over some regions, including the strategic city of Shusha, to Azerbaijan were continuing even before the start of fresh clashes on Sept. 27.

Naghdalyan denied Pashinyan's claims, saying that it was never on the agenda at any stage.

Following the statement, Pashinyan announced he had decided to dismiss Mnatsakanyan.

The resignation comes days after a cease-fire in the region that was occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades. The halt in fighting is widely considered a victory for Azerbaijan.

Armenians have also called for Pashinyan's resignation for "accepting defeat."